ST185 Stainless Steel midpipe purchase in January

After listening to comments from the other recent threads on ST185 midpipes, I went back to the two exhaust fabricators I was comparing and have decided to go with a place called Fucello's in Trenton, NJ. He is going to make me a 2.5" midpipe with 409 stainless, stainless flex pipe, stainless cat and it will be a bolt in replacement for the OEM midpipe.

I asked him about making one in 3" and he said he will do it if he can use my car to test fit it. This will also be 409 SS with flex pipe. The cat can be optional. He will make my 2.5" midpipe this week. I am not sure when he will make the 3" midpipe but it should be before Jan 22. I will decide which one I want to keep and probably sell the other here or on Ebay.

This will not be cheap. The estimated cost for 2.5" with cat is ~$475. I won't know firm price until next week. The 3" system with cat is probably going to be right around what Aussie Exhaust sold theirs for ($550). I am not doing a group buy but if anyone wants a copy, email me and I will work with you to get one made. My car will be used to test fit each pipe. If enough of you want one, he may make a jig but don't count on it. That means you have to act quickly if you want in on this. I will require payment in advance.

I will post pictures of the 2.5" and 3" ones he builds for me. Prices are estimates to give you a ballpark idea of cost but I don't think I am off by more than $25-30. Shipping will be extra. Email me at mda185@optonline.net if you are interested.

For those of you wondering who I am, I am older than most of you and have been modifying and fixing cars for about 35 years. My first ride was a 1966 Corvair Corsa Turbo that I did a ground up restoration on in 1975. I got into All Tracs in 1991 when I bought my ST165. I was an original member of the GT4 List. I don't post here a lot because I haven't been doing much in the All Trac world for the last 6-7 years. 2 children and 2 job changes altered my priorities. These days, I spend more time on Bimmerforums because I am more involved with fixing and modifying my 95 525i wagon and 97 328 convertible. I am an Electrical Engineer and have spent the last 23 years working on Navy aircraft engines and aircraft carrier catapults and arresting gear. I was a mechanic at various independent shops while studying for my degree.

Sounds good. When you get the final cost of the 3" I will let you know. Also if you could get the shipping cost to western canada that would be awesome.

edmonton_oiler16":213woowh said:

Sounds good. When you get the final cost of the 3" I will let you know. Also if you could get the shipping cost to western canada that would be awesome.

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The last time I shipped something to Western Canada, it was somewhat expensive and it was delayed in Customs. The part was a luggage rack for a Honda VFR 750 and I think it was $45.00 shipping to Vancouver. The midpipe will weigh more. I will check this out once I have a shipping weight.

I checked out your build thread and I love your car. I wish we could get the RC here. How do you like the HKS cat back exhaust? Any loud resonance at cruising speeds? Are you still using the stock midpipe? When I had the full Aussie Exhaust 3" system, it was too loud for my taste. That one of the reasons I am going with a 2.5" midpipe first. I like to hear my stereo and be able to talk to my passenger. The full 3" Aussie system made that hard to do.

Thank you I still have the stock midpipe. It's not as loud as yours had to be since I still can listen to my music and talk to people without a problem. Its a very fun car in winter. I love it.

Do you need a catalytic converter or just a plain midpipe? I got a price today for 3". It is higher than I expected. $635.00 for 3" 409 SS midpipe with flex section and SS catalytic converter. It is $470 without the cat. Shipping will be extra. I am not marking this up to take profit for myself. I think this shop is a little high on their price but I trust them more to do a good job.

Just a plain midpipe but right now that a little high for me because I can get a Aussie 3" from Fensport for around that price. I will be getting one forsure but at tha cost its just to much for me right now.

i don't know if i finished following up with you, but i am still in on this (2.5" with cat, stock midpipe replacement...

email me your info re: payment (paypal is fine with me) and i'll make move on it...

i can even pick it up in trenton from his shop or from you if you are bringing it back home; i'm fine either way. i live in midtown manhattan so i'm not too far away.

thanks again for your efforts. i am sooooo looking forward to finally putting in a quality 2.5" midpipe on my car...

-mike

We have a fella on CelicaTech that has a Midpipe buy thread going also.

Full stainless 3" with flex and optional catalytic converter for sub-$300.

Seems like a waste to pay so much for something if you don't need to.

By the way, the company doing it for him is a large company and everything is going to be mandrel bent.

Just figured I'd share. Your choice as to whether or not you like throwing money away.

shadowlife25":bz0iixlk said:

We have a fella on CelicaTech that has a Midpipe buy thread going also.

Full stainless 3" with flex and optional catalytic converter for sub-$300.

Seems like a waste to pay so much for something if you don't need to.

By the way, the company doing it for him is a large company and everything is going to be mandrel bent.

Just figured I'd share. Your choice as to whether or not you like throwing money away.

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At this point, I just want to get this done. I have been waiting a long time like everyone else. My 2.5" midpipe will cost $330 + tax because Fuccello is reusing my existing cat. The cat is not that old. A 2.5" with new cat will be $480 + tax. Mike, are you still in with that price for 2.5"? You have to remember that this is fabricated with 409 stainless which is superior to the 316 shiny stainless that most of the aftermarket pipes are made from. 409 stainless steel tends to last longer and is more resistant to cracks but it costs more. I don't think I am throwing my money away. You are all free to choose something else. I am not doing this for profit. Just trying to help out owners in a similar position.

Mike, if you are in, you might want to come down to have him install directly on your car. That will ensure the best fit and should go very smoothly after he has fabricated mine. His price is going to be the same whether he fits it to my car or yours. They have a web site with contact information: http://www.fuccellos.com. Let me know what you want to do.

Keep it civil in here folks. :nono:

mda185":3dmvysy1 said:

A 2.5" with new cat will be $480 + tax. Mike, are you still in with that price for 2.5"?

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Yes. I sent you an email to your Optimum address.

I suppose it will be best to have it fitted to my car so I'll bring my car down there, pending a few things, but hopefully in February. Can he do it in one day (i.e. I drive down in the morning, he makes/fits it, and I drive back home the same day?)-- otherwise I have to figure out transportation...

Best,

PM'd you regarding a 3" midpipe.

You have a PM.

Mark, I sent you an email reply and wanted to see if I can stop by the shop next Saturday 1/30 to get the midpipe made and fitted.

Thanks for your efforts!

Well, I finally got the midpipe made and while it fits well and sounds good, the workmanship is not what I was hoping to get from this shop. He also jacked the price up way higher than his original estimate. I did not even ask him for a price for a 3" pipe after what he did to me. I have attached some pictures. Things to note are ;

1. He adapted the 2.5" pipe to the 3" downpipe by welding a short section of 3" pipe at the front of the midpipe. A tapered transition pipe should have been used here for better flow and neater appearance.

2. He used MIG welding instead of TIG. The welds are not as smooth and professional looking as TIG. Using a MIG welder also increases the risk of overheating the stainless steel in the weld region and causing it to loose its corrosion resistant properties.

3. Look at the inside view of the front flange. The 2.5" pipe sticks out past the weld and has a jagged edge. While no one would see this on an installed pipe, it definitely will cause a reduction in exhaust flow and looks bad. He should have trimmed this and used a grinder to smooth the transition area.

The good news is it fits well and sounds good. He did a good job of copying the OEM pipe's bends and this tucks up close to the floor pan instead of hanging down like the Aussie Exhaust did. My car is finally back on the road. I have been waiting for this to get a valid inspection sticker. The bad news is he jacked the price up to $645 for a 2.5" pipe with stainless steel catalytic converter and flex section. It is definitely not worth that much for this workmanship.

I am going to talk to one more fabricator in my area and use this pipe to show him what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. If he can do this for a much more reasonable price, I will post back here. If he can't, I wish the rest of you luck finding someone to make a quality midpipe. It ain't easy and I have put a lot of time and research into this.

That sucks the guy wouldn't stick to his estimate and even after the price hike had crappy work. Hopefully shop two will work out a little better.

RedCelicaTRD":2psvinzf said:

That sucks the guy wouldn't stick to his estimate and even after the price hike had crappy work. Hopefully shop two will work out a little better.

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Yes, very disappointing. He seemed to be the better choice but I learned after the fact, that he has a reputation of charging more than his estimates once he has your car on the lift. Maybe the worst part is that his pipe bending was excellent. This midpipe is a really good replacement for OEM pipe in terms of fit. That made it even more disappointing to see the flaws and the elevated price. His loss. I am sure there could have been repeat business.

If I could afford a decent mandrel bending machine and a TIG welder, there would be very little stopping me from starting to do this on the side. I already have invested in a 4 post lift for my garage so I can do more jobs at home. I don't mind paying a fair price for competent, honest work but, in my area of NJ, I have not been able to find a competent, honest shop to work on my Alltrac or my Bimmers. It is cheaper and less stressful to just do the work myself.